


Stuck

by MagicBiscuit



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cats, Family, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Spoilers, Gen, Light-Hearted, Might be a bit ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:01:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28647984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicBiscuit/pseuds/MagicBiscuit
Summary: In the early hours of the morning Rhea hears a call for helpWritten for Rhea weekend on Tumblr, prompt Cats
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19
Collections: Rhea Weekend 2021





	Stuck

The day had hardly broken over Garreg Mach Monastery. It was bitterly cold and thick snow covered every inch of the holy grounds. Some of the Knights of Seiros were patrolling, but their late night shift would end soon. They were all eager to hand the job over to the early morning patrol when that time came.

Most of students and faculty members were still asleep. The same could be said for the members of the church as well.

The Archbishop, however, was wide awake.

At the change of patrol there were fewer than normal around and with it being so early the monastery might as well be abandoned. Because of that there wasn't a single soul who could witness the bizarre sight that was Rhea this morning.

She was wearing nothing, but her white nightgown that went down to her ankles. Her feet were completely bare as they recoiled against the cold snow on the ground. There was neither jacket nor a cloak in sight as the Archbishop quivered with every step she took.

As silly as she may have looked Rhea's face was incredibly serious. Her bright green eyes scanned every inch of the surrounding area. Whatever she was looking for she had yet to find it.

She closed in on the large cathedral towering above her. Then suddenly she froze.

_Meow_

It was a little cry that hardly pierced the air. One would have extremely good ears in order to pick up on it. Yet the moment that tiny cry sounded Rhea picked up her pace, keeping both eyes and ears out for the source of the distress call.

She made a quick left turn and hurried down and up some stairs then she ran past the well. The closer she got the louder the cries became.

Rhea stopped in front of the Goddess Tower and looked up at it. The usual greenery had withered away, leaving only the ancient tree behind.

It was hard to see at first, but now that the cries were so loud there was no doubt.

Right there, just below the Goddess Tower's third floor was a tiny kitten. It was just as white as all the snow surrounding it with the exception of one single black spot right on its nose. The cat was stuck on the part of the pillar that stuck out a bit.

Rhea's heart ached as she watched the little kitten shake like a leaf. Its blue eyes were wide as they darted from place to place and its tiny meow sounded over and over again as it begged for help. It tried to move, but only had a small area to work with. She quickly walked up to the door and tried to open it.

No luck. She looked over her shoulder. The key was back in Seteth’s office. If she was quick then it wouldn't take too long for her to go and get it.

Suddenly a dead branch fell down right in front of her. Her eyes shot upwards again as she watched the kitten struggle to stay balanced. It wouldn't surprise her if the stone was slippery due to frost.

Rhea’s eyes scrutinised every part of the tower as her heart pounded in her chest. There were plenty of branches sticking out here and there. The towers general architecture also made it so that some parts of the stone stood out more than others. An idea was starting to form in her head. It might be a silly idea, but watching the kitten she didn't want to potentially waste time.

What was stopping her from climbing the Goddess Tower?

When Rhea was young she used to climb a lot of places. She climbed everything from trees to buildings and she would more often than not be unable to get back down again. Her siblings would often tease her and call her an odd little squirrel. Cichol would scold her for being reckless, but he was always the one to help her get back down. Even if he complained while doing it. Her mother had always found it amusing when it happened and she would tease Cichol for how doting he was.

Rhea swallowed hard as she tried to push away the melancholy of those old memories. That was a long, long time ago.

This poor creature needed help now.

She took a deep breath before she grabbed onto some of the stone. The cold pierced her skin, but she had worse.

Carefully she pushed herself upwards. Rhea always had strong arms, but she needed to be careful where she put her feet. Her hand grabbed onto the first balcony and Rhea dragged herself up. She gave a sigh of relief. The first part had been fairly straightforward and since the second part was similar there shouldn't be much problem there either.

What worried Rhea the most was the third part. The area which the poor kitten had gotten stuck.

For one the length between the second balcony and the third was much greater than the one between the first and the second. Just by eyeballing it Rhea could tell she had to tackle it from the side.

The second problem was the kitten itself. By no fault of its own it had gotten stuck in an awkward spot, the pillar that went through all of the balconies. She would have to lean down over it to pull the little one up.

Upon reaching the second balcony Rhea started climbing from the left hand side as it had more branches to support her. The kitten meowed and meowed as Rhea slowly pulled herself upwards. There was no turning back now.

As she climbed the places she could grab onto grew scarcer. Still, she was determined to push through.

Then her right foot slipped.

It took every bit of willpower that she had in order not to shriek and thusly alerting everyone in Garreg Mach. Quickly she grabbed onto one of the thicker branches from the tree with her right hand. The force from the slip up as well as the sudden grab made her arm hurt, but she'd live. She was more concerned with the sudden pounding that came from the foot that had slipped. Carefully she lifted her leg up and down to see if she could still move it. She sighed with relief as she realised it was fine. It just stung a lot.

Despite her ability to move she found herself putting less weight on her right foot. There wasn't long left, though. At least she was numb to the cold at this point.

With a final push Rhea managed to drag herself up onto the third balcony. She took a moment to catch her breath as well as to make sure her hair wasn't too dishevelled. Once satisfied she quickly moved over to look over the balcony's edge. The little kitten looked up at her with frightened eyes, but she smiled back.

"Don't worry, little one." She said softly, "I'll help you."

With an " _oooff_ " she leant over and held out her hand towards the kitten. The kitten sniffed at her finger tips. Rhea swallowed hard as she leaned out a bit further. As gently as she could she grabbed hold of the kitten's neck and slowly hoisted it upwards. The kitten was as frozen.

It was with a heavy sigh of relief that she sat down on the icy balcony. The little kitten quickly climbed up her arm with all of its claws out and buried its face in the crook of her neck. Rhea couldn't help, but laugh despite the new punctures on her arm.

Carefully she stood up again. The kitten remained unmoving on her shoulder. The sun was higher in the sky now. Soon the monastery would wake up properly and another day would begin. She looked down. She couldn't even remember the last time she climbed that high.

As the kitten started purring Rhea slowly began to realise that now she had an entirely different problem on her hands, though it wasn’t one she was unfamiliar with.

The door behind her was locked and she couldn't climb back down with a vulnerable kitten on her shoulder.

Just like the little one on her shoulder Rhea was good at getting stuck.

She chuckled at her own silliness. Seteth would no doubt scold her for being so reckless, just like he did many, many years ago.

When the knights that were stationed to patrol the cathedral finally showed up she called them over with a wave and a smile. The ensuing fuss wasn’t too unexpected yet she found herself surprised when she saw Seteth come running with Manuela in tow holding both key and blankets.

She got scolded and she got hurried inside, but as Rhea watched Flayn dote on their new friend while Manuela bandaged her foot she couldn't help, but feel that she and the kitten were similar.

The little kitten jumped up on her lap and lay down. The moment she started petting it the kitten’s purrs became so loud one could probably hear it all the way to Enbarr.

Rhea and the kitten were both lucky.

The door opened as Seteth entered the room again with food for the little one while grumbling underneath his breath. The kitten meowed in greeting as Seteth put the food down. His face looked unamused, but his eyes and the upward tug of his lips gave him away.

When the kitten had gotten stuck it was only by happenstance that she was awake and was able to hear its cries. Rhea wasn’t all that different, but unlike the kitten she felt like she had learned something.

The kitten jumped down from her lap and grabbed hold of Seteth’s legs. His attempts to shoo it away were admittedly half-hearted as the women in the room laughed.

The next time Rhea would get stuck she just might have someone to help her get back down again.


End file.
